Ogre's Blood
by Ed Simons
Summary: The Ogre Slayer has come to Nerima, but what is it hunting?


Ogre's Blood  
  
By Edward Simons  
  
Based on characters and situations created by   
Takahashi Rumiko and Kusunoki Kei. Ranma 1/2 and characters   
copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi   
Rumiko. Ogre Slayer and characters copyright Shogakukan,   
KSS, TBS, and Kusunoki Kei. This story revised 2003 by   
Edward Simons.  
  
***  
  
Warning: This fanfic features graphic violence.   
This should not surprise anyone familiar with the Ogre   
Slayer manga or anime.  
  
***  
  
Do not go gentle into that good night.  
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  
  
Dylan Thomas  
  
***  
  
Akane fought with all the strength she possessed,   
raining blows on the woman's arms, but it did no good. A   
woman with long blue-black hair knelt above her, gripping   
Akane's throat with both hands. Akane's lungs were about   
to burst, her whole chest was on fire, but even as she   
battled for survival Akane wondered why the woman was   
crying. Her attacker's tears fell on Akane's cheeks like   
warm salty rain, but the woman never stopped in her grim   
purpose.  
  
Over her attacker's shoulder, Akane saw something   
else. Her vision had grown too blurred to tell what the   
white object was, but it frightened her in a way that even   
the crying woman did not.  
  
Akane continued struggling against the grip squeezing   
the life out of her, but her blows grew steadily weaker.   
Finally the Tendo girl's arms fell limp and she ceased   
moving. Even then, the longhaired woman maintained her   
grip and continued crying.  
  
Akane woke with a start. She was covered in sweat   
and every hair felt as if it were standing upright. The   
girl coughed, sat up and massaged her throat with her hand.   
She took several deep breaths before noticing she'd thrown   
the blankets off as she struggled in her sleep. As she   
looked around in concern for her pet P-chan, he   
unhesitatingly leapt into her arms. The small black piglet   
looked a little battered, but he didn't seem to blame her.   
As she clung to the only being that listened to her, Akane   
began to cry. The dream was occurring more and more   
frequently.  
  
***  
  
Ranma was rude at breakfast and Akane heard a voice   
inside, urging her to punt him into the koi pond. As   
usual, she gave in to her anger and a dripping Ranma   
stalked upstairs to take another hot bath and change into   
another set of dry clothing.  
  
As he passed Akane, she heard him mutter, "Uncute,   
violent tomboy. Who'd wanna marry a violent chick like   
her?"  
  
Akane was ready to strike him again when she saw the   
disapproving look in her sister Kasumi's eyes. The look   
reminded her of something, something she couldn't remember.   
It also angered her as a voice inside murmured away.  
  
You should hate her, too. She stole Tofu from you.   
That's right, stole him and she did it without even trying.   
And the way she rubs it in that's she's so much better than   
you are at cooking. Oh, she never *says* anything, but   
that look, that smile, she knows she's so much better than   
you are. How can you put up with it? Don't forget she   
pushed you into this stupid engagement with that perverted   
jerk Ranma. You should do something.  
  
The sharp snap of her chopsticks breaking interrupted   
Akane's thoughts.  
  
"Akane, are you alright? Have you hurt yourself?"  
  
Kasumi tried to look at her younger sister's hand,   
but Akane yanked it away.  
  
"I'm fine! I don't need any help!"  
  
Even Akane was surprised by the way she raised her   
voice to Kasumi.  
  
***  
  
It was late afternoon when Ranma entered Ukyou's   
restaurant. Her reflexive smile melted as Ranma shuffled   
closer and dropped onto a stool in front of the counter.   
Darkness lined his eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, Ranchan?" Ukyou began the ritual,   
creating one of Ranma's favorite okonomiyaki.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
His eyes remained downcast, even when the food was   
placed sizzling in front of him.  
  
"Ranchan." Ukyou stared at her fiancé until his gaze   
lifted. Their eyes locked and then he looked back down at   
the counter. Ranma took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.  
  
"You got enough to worry about, Ucchan."  
  
She didn't reply and eventually Ranma, tired of the   
silence, looked at Ukyou again. Concern and caring filled   
those beautiful gray eyes, reminding him why he called   
Ukyou his cute fiancée.  
  
"I'm worried about Akane," he whispered.  
  
Ukyou struggled to keep the hurt from showing in her   
face. Why didn't he worry about her like this?  
  
"What's wrong, Ranchan? Did you have another fight?   
Has Akane been hitting you again?"  
  
"I dunno, Ucchan. Maybe she is."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Remember when I told you... No, wait, the old letch   
got to Nerima before you did, Ucchan."  
  
"Happosai?"  
  
"Yes. The old pervert tried to sleep in Akane's bed   
disguised as her pet P-chan. Me and Ryouga were gonna stop   
him, but Akane beat up the old pervert in her sleep. At   
first I thought that was funny." He smiled wearily. "And   
it was so long ago I almost forgot about it. Then it   
started again, Akane fighting in her sleep, when Nabiki was   
my fiancée."  
  
"Ranchan, have you been spying on Akane while she was   
sleeping," Ukyou growled.  
  
"Um, no, I, well, I got my sources, but I ain't no   
pervert and if I was gonna peep it sure wouldn't be at an   
uncute girl like Akane."  
  
Ukyou's expression softened, and a smile tugged the   
corner of her mouth. "What about a cute girl, Ranchan?"  
  
"Hey, I said I ain't no pervert, Ucchan."  
  
"Oh." She stared at the counter for a moment, then   
met his gaze again.  
  
"Well, um, that only lasted a little while," Ranma   
continued, "the dreams of fighting, I mean. The same thing   
happened right after Hinako became our teacher but it   
stopped again after a bit. Then it got really bad after   
you and me and Akane went on that trip, the one where   
Ryouga showed up and we all went through that really   
strange tunnel. I hear Akane's been fighting in her sleep   
almost every night since then. I don't know who she's   
fighting, but something's wrong and I don't know what to   
do."  
  
"Ranchan, it's not like you to be so worried, it   
makes me..."  
  
"Normally it wouldn't bother me, Ucchan, but P-ch...,   
I mean Ry..., I mean the person who told me is getting   
really nervous about it. It's just, I dunno... No one has   
the same nightmare every night. I don't know who she's   
fighting, but something's wrong and I don't know what to   
do."  
  
"Ranchan?" Ukyou swallowed, unable to speak at   
first. "You...you're right, Ranchan. Its...there is   
something wrong. I can't really say why, either, but   
somehow I know you're right. I...I don't know if I can   
help, but Akane's my friend, even if we are...well, if I   
can help, I will, Ranchan."  
  
***  
  
"A fool and his money are soon parted."  
  
Nabiki looked up from her English homework and   
smiled. Even the Americans could come up with words of   
wisdom. She stood, stretched, and looked around her room.  
The radio on her dresser, the computer on her desk,   
several of the nicest clothes in her closet, all provided   
by various fools.  
  
The words summed up her life quite nicely. Actually,   
making money was so easy it wasn't even interesting   
anymore. Kinnosuke was the only one she'd found remotely   
challenging, but most people she knew were complete idiots   
like Ranma or Kuno. She had increased her income again   
when she started selling pictures of Ranma to Ranma,   
promising to keep them out of Kuno's hands. She didn't   
tell Ranma she had already sold copies of the same pictures   
to Kuno.  
  
Ryouga was the only person she couldn't make money   
off of, but only because he never had any. Even an   
experienced businesswoman like Ukyou could be fleeced if   
you told her Ranma was involved.  
  
Nabiki sighed. There wasn't any challenge anymore.   
She stretched again and walked to her window. Spring was a   
beautiful time, but something seemed wrong. No birds were   
singing and beneath one of the trees in the yard, barely   
visible in the fading sunlight, stood a tall, dark-haired   
boy wearing traditional samurai garb and carrying a sword.  
  
Nabiki rushed downstairs. She didn't know which   
annoyed her more, Kuno trespassing or the possibility he   
might have gotten smart enough to take his own pictures of   
Akane or the pigtailed girl. She opened the sliding door   
and ran into the yard, but the trespasser had disappeared.   
Now that she thought about it, she wasn't certain it was   
Kuno. Still, who else dressed like that?  
  
***  
  
"Hello, Akane," Kasumi smiled cheerfully. "Dinner   
will be ready shortly. We expected you home from school   
hours..."  
  
Kasumi's smile faded and the mixing bowl fell from   
empty fingers, shattering on the kitchen floor. Akane   
stood white-faced, trembling. The front of her school   
uniform was splattered with a dark liquid.  
  
Blood.  
  
Akane sank to the floor as rubbery legs failed.   
Kasumi knelt worriedly, examining her sister for injuries.   
Thankfully, Akane appeared unharmed.  
  
"What happened, Akane? Who got hurt?"  
  
The younger girl shook her head, not wanting to   
speak.  
  
"Please, Akane."  
  
"Ko...Kodachi."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She...she was chasing me and then I turned. I...I   
didn't even hear her scream."  
  
It took a little longer for Kasumi to coax the   
location out of her sister.  
  
"Nabiki, I'm getting Akane to bed. Call Dr. Tofu.   
Let him know where Kodachi is. I hope she's not hurt too   
badly." There was an urgency in Kasumi's voice the others   
hadn't heard before.  
  
***  
  
An hour after sunset, Ranma approached the Tendo   
house. He reached for the doorknob, but someone opened it   
before he could touch the door. Soun Tendo stood there   
with an expression Ranma had never seen before. "Ranma,   
where have you been?" he bellowed. "You left Akane alone   
and unprotected!"  
  
"What?"  
  
By now Soun had activated his angry his angry demon   
head technique. "Don't you care what happens to Akane? My   
little girl could have gotten killed!"  
  
Ranma raised his hands in warding gestures. "I got   
no idea what you're talking about!"   
  
Soun dissolved into tears and it was Genma's turn to   
berate Ranma. "This is all your fault, boy. How could you   
let Akane be in such danger?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You know how bad she is at fighting. You need to   
protect the girl you're going to marry."  
  
"Who says I'm marrying anyone, Pops, especially an   
uncute tomboy like Akane?"  
  
"How could you say that about my little girl?" Soun   
wailed.  
  
Ranma looked back and forth between the older men,   
trying to understand what the problem was this time.   
Kasumi defused the situation by providing a brief   
explanation, but the knowledge didn't make Ranma feel any   
better.  
  
***  
  
Dr. Tofu reached the Tendo home later that evening.   
Soun seemed unusually subdued. Nabiki and Genma's   
expressions were harder to read. Kasumi and even Ranma   
appeared nervous. Everyone appeared eager to see Tofu.   
  
"Doc, tell me Akane's wrong. Nothing really happened   
to Kodachi, did it?"  
  
Tofu didn't answer Ranma, but took a cup of sake   
right out of Mr. Tendo's hands and drained it. Soun was so   
surprised by the doctor's unexpected rudeness that he did   
nothing. Tofu motioned for a refill and when Kasumi   
obliged he drained that, too.  
  
Tofu looked bleakly at the others.  
  
They want me to tell them everything is alright.   
They expect me to have all the answers, but this is too   
much like...no, no, I don't want to think about that.  
  
"How is Akane?" Tofu whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Sleeping," Kasumi replied.  
  
"Does she...does she remember?"  
  
"I...I don't think she does...at least not much,"   
Kasumi continued.  
  
"That's good, that's very good." But Tofu's eyes   
were fixed on Soun, who said nothing, but just stared at   
the floor.  
  
Ranma broke the silence. "Doc, what about Kodachi?"   
She was the only girl pursuing him that he didn't   
particularly like, but he didn't want her to be hurt.  
  
Tofu turned his eyes on Ranma and the younger martial   
artist fell silent. Tofu had found Kodachi before the   
police or anyone else did. He wanted to forget the girl's   
blank, staring eyes. At least the head, though bloody, was   
recognizable. The rest was torn remnants scattered down   
the blood-spattered alley. Tofu shuddered, trying to   
imagine the force needed to inflict such horrific damage.   
He'd seen this pattern of injuries before, somewhere, if   
only he could remember where...  
  
"Doc?" Ranma's worried question brought Tofu back to   
his surroundings.  
  
"She's gone, Ranma."  
  
"Are you sure, Doc?"  
  
Tofu refrained from laughing because he wasn't   
certain he had the strength left to stop. There wasn't   
time for that. Some thing was loose in Nerima and Tofu had   
people he cared about who needed protecting.  
  
***  
  
Akane wasn't in school the next day or the day after   
that, but Nabiki turned a tidy profit selling information.   
Furinkan High normally hosted several fights a week, but   
this level of viciousness was unheard of and fear permeated   
the student body. The atmosphere was particularly   
oppressive for the trained martial artists who could sense   
the chi energies of the others.  
  
Tatewaki Kuno was stonefaced, silent. His father,   
the Principal, had donned a dark suit instead of his   
traditional wildly colored Hawaiian clothing. He was quiet   
and never mentioned haircuts or Hawaii. The unexpected   
normality made the students even more nervous than his   
typical bizarre behavior.  
  
***  
  
Miss Hinako would have drained Ranma and Ukyou's chi   
for being disruptive, but she didn't teach every class.   
The other teachers resorted to the traditional punishment   
for students talking during the lesson, making them stand   
in the hallway holding buckets of water.  
  
"Sorry, Ranchan, I didn't mean to get you in trouble   
by asking those questions in class, I just had to know what   
really happened, not just the story Nabiki is selling. The   
rumors are so wild and I...I want to hear the truth. I   
need to."  
  
After a lot of coaxing, Ranma repeated what he knew.   
He censored the more grisly details, but even the edited   
story was grim.  
  
"Tofu...he doesn't think it's human?" Ukyou's voice   
was barely audible, yet urgent.  
  
"Yeah, but Tofu wasn't dumb enough to tell the cops   
that," Ranma replied. "Ucchan?" She'd gone pale, and then   
the pails of water fell forgotten from Ukyou's hands. The   
pails bounced against the floor and Ranma leaped backwards,   
avoiding the cold water. Unfortunately, his movement meant   
water sloshed out of the buckets he held, triggering his   
Jusenkyou curse, washing away his manhood.  
  
"Hey, what did ya do that for?" a rather damp Ranma   
demanded in a higher pitched voice.  
  
Ukyou didn't reply. She still hadn't moved. Ranma   
took a half step forward, and Ukyou grabbed him and wrapped   
her arms around the boy turned girl. Ranma tensed,   
remembering all the times Shampoo had grabbed him like   
this, and how all those incidents ended in a battle, a   
squabble with Akane, or another scheme of Shampoo's to   
trick him into marriage. But he felt Ukyou trembling, and   
it reminded him far too much of his own reaction to cats.   
"Umm, Ucchan are you..." Ranma paused. Obviously, Ukyou   
was not alright. "Ucchan? Hey, are you crying?"  
  
"And the tears aren't even for her, they're for me,"   
Ukyou whispered hoarsely. "Don't you get it, Ranchan?   
Whoever...whatever did this, I...I don't think I can stop   
it. I don't want to end up like Kodachi."  
  
"Ucchan, ain't nothing gonna..."  
  
"Ranchan," her gaze bored into his eyes, "Ranchan,   
something always seems to happen to us...to us girls, the   
ones who lo...who like you. Toma, Tarou, Kirin, those ugly   
ninjas, the Ghost Cat...this is like that only...only a   
lot...a lot..." She couldn't find the word she needed. "I   
don't know why. I just feel that way. It got Kodachi. It   
almost got Akane. Who's next?"  
  
"Ranchan, I don't want to be alone." Ukyou's fear   
was clearly genuine. Ranma didn't believe in premonitions   
any more than he believed in destiny, but he knew he had to   
say something. His mouth opened, then closed, and then he   
finally found the words.  
  
"Don't worry, Ucchan. It'll be okay. You'll see."  
  
Maybe Ucchan will feel safe if she stays at the   
Tendo's. After all, she took them in when they needed a   
place to stay. Akane probably won't like it, but it's not   
like she's gonna kill me or nothing.  
  
***  
  
"You got some pictures of Ukyou holding Ranma."  
  
Gosunkugi nodded response to Nabiki's command.  
  
"I need three, no, four sets of prints made and I   
need them before the end of school. You already have the   
prints of Kodachi for me."  
  
It wasn't a request and the skinny boy handed them   
over. His face looked green, far more color than he   
usually showed. Gosunkugi slumped against the wall and put   
a hand over his eyes. He took several slow deep breaths   
before he spoke.  
  
"I won't do that again. Not for anything."  
  
Nabiki concealed her emotions behind her professional   
business manner. For a coward like Gosunkugi to refuse to   
do anything was surprising, but she had no intention of   
allowing anyone to see she that could be surprised.   
Instead, she stared at him. Gosunkugi flinched as if he   
sensed her gaze, but refused to look at her.  
  
Nabiki shrugged. She was good enough at reading   
people's body language to tell Gosunkugi wouldn't budge on   
this matter. After a pause he spoke again.  
  
"I...I think you should burn them. Those pictures, I   
mean. I...I...it was horrible. I can't eat...not since   
then. It comes right back up. And...and...Akane...it   
could have happened to her, too."  
  
Nabiki's face was a mask of indifference as she   
opened the folder. The pictures were worse than she   
expected, but she could still turn them into something   
profitable.  
  
***  
  
Akane woke to the sound of faint but angry voices   
coming from somewhere downstairs. Light streaming in the   
window showed it was early afternoon. Eavesdropping on the   
conversation downstairs would be rude, but anything was an   
improvement from the horrible dreams. Akane rubbed the   
sleep from her eyes, pulled on her bathrobe, and snuck down   
the stairs. From the stairwell, Akane was now close enough   
to the family room to understand their words.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you, Tofu? Akane   
doesn't remember." Soun's voice had become quiet, but was   
full of anger.  
  
"For her sake, I hope you're right. After what   
happened to her mother, it's best if she doesn't remember   
anything."  
  
"Quit worrying, Tofu. Even with everything that   
happened, she doesn't remember. Besides, I don't see how   
remembering what happened to Setsuko could be any worse   
than actually seeing what happened to Kodachi."  
  
Akane sat down on the stairs in confusion. Of course   
she remembered her mother dying, she had visited her in the   
hospital. That was about all she recalled about the woman.   
She'd told Ranma that she remembered her mother well, but   
that was a lie, an attempt to be better than Ranma at   
something. Akane wished she could remember more about her   
mother, but the only scenes Akane could pull from her   
memory were unpleasant and frightening visits to a weak and   
dying woman.  
  
Akane paused in thought. Actually, she couldn't   
recall anything before her fifth birthday party, but she   
knew that her mother's name was Kumori, not Setsuko.  
  
***  
  
The roof was Ranma's refuge, a place of comparative   
peace, where he sometimes had the time to think. He stared   
up at the darkening sky, at the first hints of starlight,   
but there were no answers there.  
  
Who would of thought Mr. Tendo would be so   
unreasonable about the whole thing? After all, Ucchan let   
the whole Tendo bunch stay at her place after Mr. Tendo   
lost the house to the Gambler King. Ok, the only one   
Ucchan let stay was me. Pops and the others just showed up   
and set up camp until Nabiki won the house back from the   
Gambler King.  
  
But now Mr. Tendo says he ain't gonna let Ucchan stay   
over, not after the mess last time she showed up. And   
Akane decked me with the table and said I was a pervert,   
that I just wanted to fool around with Ucchan.  
  
I didn't do nothing with Ucchan, not while Akane   
missed school, not when I stayed at Ucchan's place, not   
when she stayed here, not ever. Why won't that stupid   
tomboy ever trust me? Sure, Nabiki sold her that photo of   
Ucchan hanging on me, but Ucchan was just scared and   
besides we were both girls at the time.  
  
Ranma sighed in frustration.  
  
I ain't never seen Ucchan scared before. If she's   
right, she and Akane and Shampoo could all be in danger.   
No, Shampoo will be alright, she's an Amazon warrior, and   
Cologne and Mousse ain't gonna let nothing happen to her.  
  
Akane ain't near as good, all she can handle is a   
couple sumo wrestlers or the kendo club. Then again, Pops   
is pretty good and Mr. Tendo has to be some use in combat   
and they ain't gonna let anything happen to Akane.  
  
The only time Ucchan needed my help was against those   
ugly ninjas. She's about as good a fighter as Shampoo, as   
long as Ucchan has her weapons, but all she has for backup   
is Konatsu. He doesn't like fighting. He was even raised   
as a girl. He's a great spy, but only a decent fighter.  
  
Eventually, Ranma reached a decision, but by then it   
was too late.  
  
***  
  
"What brings you out this late, Nabiki?"  
  
"I hoped that you could answer some questions, Dr.   
Tofu."  
  
This would be easy. Tofu actually liked giving   
people information. He was a nice guy, but she couldn't   
understand why he gave away information for free. It was   
like he didn't even care about making money from his   
knowledge.  
  
The doctor relaxed visibly and Nabiki realized he had   
thought something had happened to someone else. She   
glanced into the darkened streets. They appeared empty,   
but she wasn't sure of that anymore. Suddenly, home seemed   
unpleasantly far away and money less important than   
survival.  
  
Neither of them spoke for a moment.  
  
The doctor sighed, "That depends on the questions,   
Nabiki."  
  
"Why are you so worried about Akane remembering?"  
  
"What was done to Kodachi was..."  
  
Nabiki threw the sheaf of photographs onto Tofu's   
desk.  
  
"Don't lie to me. I'm not stupid. You and my dad   
aren't worried about Akane remembering that. What could be   
worse than this?"  
  
Nabiki jabbed an angry finger towards the photos.  
  
"This is bad and you're worried about it for   
everybody's sake, but something else has you worried about   
Akane."  
  
"You won't let this go, will you?" Tofu frowned.  
  
"I could get the information out of my dad, but I'd   
rather do this without the big emotional scene."  
  
"Tell me, Nabiki, have you seen a boy dressed in dark   
blue? Sometimes he wears a school uniform and sometimes   
traditional samurai garb, but it's always dark blue and he   
always carries a sword."  
  
"It sounds like Kuno."  
  
"It even looks a little like Kuno."  
  
***  
  
There was a sharp crack and the last practice dummy   
lay splintered on the dojo floor. Akane was perspiring   
heavily, but she still felt the tension inside. Anger made   
her stronger, but normally she was able to work it off on   
the practice dummies.  
  
How could that jerk just disappear after dinner? And   
he deserved getting pounded for saying how glad he was   
Kasumi cooked the meal. You know he was insulting your   
cooking by saying that. Now he's probably over at Ukyou's   
and who knows what they're doing. Don't forget that   
picture of the two perverts holding each other while Ranma   
was in girl form.  
  
"Jerk. Pervert," she growled as she mopped her brow   
with a towel. She still needed to unleash on some kind of   
dummy, but her targets were gone. The wooden ones were   
shattered and the human target had disappeared after   
dinner.  
  
"Maybe going jogging will help me relax," she sighed.  
  
Akane didn't think about how late the hour was or the   
dangers that might slumber beneath a blanket of darkness.   
Somehow, she felt sure that she was safe, sure that she was   
strong enough, skilled enough, that she would not be   
harmed.  
  
She was wrong.  
  
***  
  
"What does this someone who looks like Kuno have to   
do with anything?" Nabiki asked.  
  
"Not someone, some thing," Tofu emphasized.  
  
Nabiki didn't contradict him. She had studied the   
photos.  
  
"You know Akane is adopted."  
  
"Of course." Nabiki sold semi-nude pictures of the   
girl to Kuno. She pushed Akane into the arranged   
engagement with that idiot Ranma. She charged Akane for   
even simple advice. Nabiki would never do that to her real   
sister Kasumi.  
  
And Nabiki was certain other people knew as well.   
Kasumi had been just as eager to pass the engagement off to   
Akane and the younger girl was about the only person Kasumi   
criticized in public. Even the old pervert Happosai   
probably knew Akane was adopted. After all, he never tried   
to grope Kasumi or Nabiki.  
  
"So when did you find out, Dr. Tofu?"  
  
"I've always known. Akane is my daughter."  
  
***  
  
It was five minutes before closing time at the   
restaurant. The sliding front door was half closed, a not-  
so-subtle hint that the owner needed to shut down for the   
night. A middle-aged salaryman stepped through the   
entryway and onto the sidewalk. After missing his train   
home, the man had finished a late dinner and planned to   
spend the night in a hotel, but he never reached it. His   
body slammed against the sliding door, popping it from its   
track and carrying it into the room with a crash.  
  
The remaining occupants of the restaurant hesitated,   
staring in shock, and then the screams began. The cute   
waitress fell next as clawed hands shredded both flesh and   
clothing and hurled the tattered remains across the room.   
The young woman behind the counter shrieked a name while   
the dating couple sitting in front of the counter seemed   
frozen, unable to move.  
  
The couple died first and quickly, but there was no   
pity in that. A looming shape moved towards the last   
standing person. She stopped screaming and held her   
cooking tools as weapons in a pitiful attempt at self-  
defense.  
  
But she wasn't alone. Torn, battered, face a ruined   
mask, the waitress lunged toward their attacker, trying to   
interrupt the fatal blow. Claws sliced through the   
waitress and into the girl behind the counter. Blood   
sprayed and employee and employer fell together.  
  
It was three minutes before closing time at the   
restaurant.  
  
***  
  
"People tell me I don't look that old, but remember   
I've been your family doctor for ten years, Nabiki, and I   
had to finish medical school before that."  
  
"My family, especially my mother put a lot of   
pressure on my wife to produce a child. I didn't let their   
nagging affect me, but Setsuko was upset by their words.   
When we finally had a daughter Setsuko was very protective,   
perhaps overprotective, of little Akane."  
  
"All that changed just before Akane turned five. My   
wife was found dead, her throat slit and Akane was lying   
nearby. Someone had tried to strangle her and my little   
girl was barely alive. When Akane regained consciousness,   
she remembered nothing and I thought that was for the best.   
After losing my wife, I was in no condition to raise a   
child by myself. I turned to my old friend Soun Tendo and   
his wife to raise my girl as their own and I hoped...I   
prayed Akane would never remember the night she almost   
died. The night Setsuko did die."   
  
Tofu's eyes were moist, but Nabiki appeared unmoved.   
"What does that have to do with the guy with the sword?"  
  
"He kidnapped Akane the day before it happened and   
Setsuko barely got our girl back. I'm sure his sword is   
the blade that cut Setsuko's throat. After that I watched   
for reports of similar events. The authorities try to hush   
things up, but I found cases of people mutilated like what   
happened to Kodachi. A few people saw the boy with the   
sword, though no one actually saw him kill anyone."  
  
Now Tofu's periodic disappearances made sense to   
Nabiki. He was seeking his wife's killer.  
  
"Sounds like he may have finished off any real   
witnesses, Tofu."  
  
"That's what I thought, too."  
  
***  
  
The lights were on at Ucchan's, all the lights, even   
though the restaurant should have closed five minutes ago.   
Ranma's pace slowed as he sensed something odd, then he saw   
the shattered door and the remains of something that had   
been a man lying just inside.  
  
"Ucchan!"  
  
Ranma's cry faded into the darkness, but no one   
responded. He charged into the restaurant, nearly tripping   
over the remains of the door and the first corpse. Two   
more bodies lay twisted in the middle of the floor amid the   
splintered remains of the chairs.  
  
Ranma took an involuntary step backwards, staring at   
the bodies. Something had pulped their heads with inhuman   
strength, decorating the floor with blood and brains and   
pale white bits of bone.  
  
Color drained from Ranma's face and for a moment he   
couldn't move or speak or even breathe. The lower half of   
a torso lay in front of the blood-soaked counter.   
Intestines trailed over the counter and the still hot   
grill. Ranma choked as a horrid burning stench assaulted   
him.  
  
A single leap carried him over the counter. Ukyou   
lay beneath the top half of Konatsu's body, her face masked   
in blood and other less nameable fluids. Ranma reached a   
trembling hand toward the girl.   
  
"Ucch..."  
  
An unpleasant sizzling noise coming from the grill   
was the only sound. Something in Ranma's stomach   
congealed. He barely switched the grill off before he lost   
his dinner in a loud and messy manner. When he finished,   
Ranma realized he was kneeling in a pool of blood next to   
his friends' bodies. He took a deep shuddering breath and   
then...  
  
And then he heard Ukyou moan.  
  
***  
  
Nabiki thought for a moment.  
  
"Are you sure the swordsman is responsible, Tofu?"  
  
"I saw Setsuko's throat. It was a clean straight cut   
done to an unresisting victim." His words were clipped   
short in anger.  
  
"Which makes it not a bit like what happened to   
Kodachi." Nabiki pointed at the pictures again. "We see   
crushing and tearing done by superhuman strength. We see   
jagged clawmarks. We don't see any clean straight cuts   
like a sword would make."  
  
"You...you're right, Nabiki. Then what's he doing   
near these murders?"  
  
"I'm not sure, maybe he's hunting whatever is doing   
this."  
  
"If he is, he's doing a lousy job of it." Rage   
drenched Tofu's words. "Setsuko died ten years ago and   
this thing is still out there killing people. And I still   
think he killed Setsuko."  
  
"Maybe that was an accident."  
  
"Why should that matter, Nabiki? Why should I trust   
him?"  
  
"I never said I did, Tofu."  
  
***  
  
Something was wrong. Akane dropped her jogging   
outfit into the clothes hamper and stepped into the bath,   
but the warm water wasn't helping her relax.   
  
I remember getting dressed. I remember leaving the   
yard.  
  
After that, everything was a blank until she stood in   
front of the house again. Like when she found Kodachi, she   
remembered everything that happened before and after, but   
the actual events were hazy and unclear, as fuzzy as the   
strange white object she saw in her nightmares, the thing   
hovering over the shoulder of the crying woman who killed   
her in her dreams.  
  
Was I near the creature again? Is that why I can't   
remember?  
  
Akane shivered in water that no longer felt warm   
enough. She sloshed out of the tub; dried herself with   
quick, nervous motions; tugged on her pajamas and bathrobe;   
and fled upstairs to bed. She needed sleep badly, but she   
was afraid to dream anymore.  
  
***  
  
It took several tries to dial the paramedics; his   
gore-covered hands didn't want to work properly. He   
stammered the address then nearly collapsed into a sitting   
position next to Ukyou. Part of Konatsu's body lay across   
her legs, missing half the face. Exposed teeth and bone   
smiled grimly at Ranma, but the remaining eye stared   
accusingly at him.  
  
Ranma chuckled nervously.  
  
"Guess you showed me, Konatsu. I was raised to be a   
man among men. You were raised to be a girl. Yeah, you   
sure showed me. Some man I am." The words came faster,   
almost tripping over each other. "You were man enough to   
protect her, to die for her. I wasn't even man enough to   
get here in time! She trusted me and I wasn't even here!"  
  
He took a deep breath and continued in a slower,   
quieter voice.  
  
"I wasn't here when Ucchan needed me."  
  
He finally dared to look at Ukyou. Her face was so   
covered in blood he couldn't tell how serious her injuries   
were. The front of her shirt was ripped open leaving no   
doubt she was female. Claws had torn the flesh, but she was   
still breathing. Ranma pulled his shirt off and laid it   
gently over the girl who was both friend and fiancée. Then   
he leaned back against the wall and tried to smudge the   
tears away with the back of his hand.  
  
All that accomplished was smearing blood across his   
face.  
  
***  
  
It was hours before Akane reluctantly fell asleep and   
far too soon the nightmare returned. This time the white   
thing over the woman's shoulder was clearer. A woman's   
face made up in white, with painted on eyebrows far too   
high on the forehead to be real. A face from the far past,   
from the samurai era. Unlike the crying woman, the painted   
face seemed gleeful at destroying Akane. Then the face   
split and changed. It was blood red, with horns and fangs   
and huge staring eyes.  
  
An Ogre.  
  
Not like the mischievous creature that possessed   
Kasumi so many months ago. That was nothing. This was a   
real Ogre, strong and malicious. It controlled the crying   
woman. It reveled in death and pain and Akane was too weak   
to stop it.  
  
You have the strength within you. Strike back   
against those that hurt you. Never be a weak, helpless   
child again. Use the strength that anger gives you.  
  
Then the images flowed into a new nightmare of blood   
and death. Akane tried to scream, but she couldn't wake   
up.  
  
***  
  
The paramedics mistook Ranma for one of the victims   
and in a way they were right. He refused to be separated   
from Ukyou and accompanied her in the ambulance. He didn't   
remember how he got his shirt back or even putting it on   
again. He planted himself in the room as the doctors began   
working on Ukyou and forced himself to watch.  
  
The hospital staff wanted him to leave, but something   
in his eyes warned them not to try.  
  
Ranma didn't notice Dr. Tofu arrive any more than he   
noticed the passing time. Eventually the surgeons finished   
and people filtered out of the room until only he and Tofu   
stood in silence. The doctor watched the clock hands crawl   
around their circle twice, then he spoke gently.  
  
"She'll make it, Ranma. I think you saved her life."  
  
"I...I...no...my fault...wasn't there...she needed   
me, but I wasn't...it's...it's all..."  
  
Tofu considered for a moment. The boy was near   
exhaustion, which only heightened his fear and anguish.   
Ranma wasn't doing anybody, especially himself, any good by   
staying here. Tofu's hands swiftly touched a series of   
pressure points, muting the emotional pain and making Ranma   
more susceptible to reason.  
  
"Here, Ranma, let me get you cleaned up."  
  
Ranma didn't resist as Tofu wiped the worst of the   
blood off Ranma's face and hands. Tofu used the   
opportunity to confirm that Ranma had no physical injuries.   
The boy and his clothing were still a mess, but the rest of   
the cleanup would have to wait. During the whole process,   
Ranma's eyes never left Ukyou's unconscious body. Left   
alone he'd probably stand there staring till exhaustion   
claimed him.  
  
"Go home, Ranma. Sleep. Come back in the morning.   
Please, Ranma."  
  
Ranma objected, but eventually he left.  
  
***  
  
The house was quiet when Ranma snuck in. No one was   
waiting up for him, though it was well after midnight. He   
almost reached the room he shared with his father before he   
realized he was covered with blood and gore.  
  
Ranma retraced his steps to the bathroom.   
Reflexively, he stripped off his clothes and hurled them   
into the clothes hamper. He stepped naked into the tub,   
not remembering to rinse himself off and not caring that   
the water was cold. In a way, he was glad the water turned   
him into a girl. Girls were allowed to cry and Ranma was   
tired of holding back the tears.  
  
Quiet sobbing disturbed the silence and tears he   
would have denied mixed with the bathwater. Ranma washed   
herself slowly, but she didn't feel clean. She stopped and   
stared at her hands, imagining Ukyou and Konatsu's blood   
covering them.  
  
Exhausted, Ranma leaned back against the side of the   
tub and fell into much needed sleep. She didn't wake until   
she heard Akane screaming.  
  
***  
  
Cologne stared at the girl on the bed. Her great-  
granddaughter Shampoo slept peacefully, but that wouldn't   
last. Cologne had visited the hospital and the morgue.   
Kodachi and so many others were dead. Ukyou was fortunate   
to be alive. She was the second of Ranma's suitors to fall   
and Cologne didn't expect her to be the last.  
  
Ranma would be foolish enough to get in the way of   
the thing that did this and then he would die. Not might   
die, would die. He was so cocky and overconfident that he   
would expect it to be like every time he faced a human   
opponent. This wasn't human, it didn't understand mercy or   
pity or honor. It would gut him before he could learn its   
weaknesses. Assuming it had any weaknesses.  
  
If only I was still seventy, I'd be fast enough to   
defeat it.  
  
But Cologne had passed seventy long ago and she had   
no intention of fighting a losing battle. Shampoo would   
fight with her Airen and die with him unless Cologne acted.  
  
It took moments to pour the water and lock the cat   
into a cage. Shampoo howled and hissed, but she had no   
chance of escape.  
  
"I am sorry, great-granddaughter, but this is for the   
best. We will be returning home."  
  
The cat was silent for a few seconds and then began   
yowling in anger and frustration.  
  
***  
  
Kasumi heard her sister scream and rushed to the   
bathroom, abandoning the breakfast she had been preparing.   
Akane was already storming back to her room, muttering   
'pervert' and other less pleasant words.  
  
An unconscious naked girl-type Ranma leaned against   
the side of the tub. The water was pale pink, but when   
Kasumi hauled Ranma out, she found no signs of injury   
except for a lump on Ranma's head where Akane glanced the   
wash bucket off her skull.  
  
Kasumi sighed, recalling Akane's regularly broken   
promise not to strike anyone in anger, and wrapped a spare   
bathrobe around Ranma. The red-haired girl was heavy, but   
Kasumi still managed to carry her upstairs to bed. Only   
then did Ranma groan and regain consciousness. Kasumi   
found Ranma's timing frustrating, but she chose to let the   
anger go. Keeping it inside would hurt Kasumi and letting   
it loose the way Akane did would hurt others. She knew   
Ranma hadn't meant to make life harder for her.  
  
Ranma bolted upright.  
  
"Aaagh! What time is it?"  
  
Kasumi told Ranma, who began running around   
frantically, grabbing clothing seemingly at random and   
pulling it on. Kasumi sighed again and left the room.  
  
By the time Ranma came thundering down the stairs,   
Kasumi had a lunch packed for her. To Kasumi's surprise,   
Ranma almost didn't stop for it. There was barely time to   
pour some hot water on Ranma before he rushed out the door.  
  
"Thanks, Kasumi," he yelled in a much deeper voice,   
as he leapt over the front gate and into the street.  
  
***  
  
The teacher droned on, but Akane's thoughts were   
elsewhere.  
  
First Ranma had tried to peep on her in the bath.  
  
He's an arrogant, perverted jerk. You know you'd be   
better off without him.  
  
Then Kasumi had lectured her about hitting Ranma.  
  
Why does she always take his side? He deserved it   
and it's not like you did anything wrong. The jerk didn't   
even shown up for school to explain the homework you   
missed. He doesn't care about you. He's just goofing off   
somewhere. Your father is stupid to expect he'd be any   
help running the dojo. You don't need Ranma. You don't   
need anyone.  
  
Ukyou hadn't shown up for school, either.  
  
Akane wanted to get angry about that, too, but   
something hovered at the edge of her memory. The dreams   
from last night, full of sorrow and pain. Somehow, Akane   
knew something had happened to Ukyou.  
  
Suddenly, Akane felt very cold. A boy in samurai   
garb was staring at her through the window. The boy that   
was not Kuno balanced effortlessly on a tree limb three   
stories above the ground and stared into the classroom.   
His face showed no expression, but his eyes seemed to   
radiate sorrow.  
  
Akane stopped breathing for a second. This boy with   
the sword terrified her in a way that nothing else ever   
had, not even the endless nightmares of being murdered by   
the woman with hair as blue-black as her own. Dark dreams   
of being strangled by her own mother.  
  
Where did that thought come from? Mother looked like   
Kasumi. The dream woman couldn't be my mother.  
  
Akane screamed as buried memories came rushing back   
to her. The rest of the class stared at her in confusion,   
not noticing the boy perched in the tree, head bowed in   
sorrow.  
  
***  
  
"She's awake now, but keep your visit short."  
  
Anyone who knew Ranma would have been astonished to   
see him quietly nod and slip into the patient's room. He   
remembered Dr. Tofu's words far too well. Most of the   
injuries were superficial, but not all.  
  
He paused in the doorway and gazed at Ukyou. She   
shifted nervously in the bed.  
  
"Who...who's there?" Throwing spatulas materialized   
in Ukyou's hands and she prepared to hurl them towards the   
noise.  
  
Ranma stared at the floor and mumbled his name. The   
weapons disappeared.  
  
"Ranchan? Come in. Please, come closer."  
  
He obeyed and she fumbled till she grasped his hand   
with hers. Ranma was surprised at the strength of Ukyou's   
grip, but years of wielding a heavy battle spatula left her   
quite well muscled.  
  
"You came." The fierce happiness in her voice made   
him feel even more guilty.  
  
"S...sorry, Ucchan. It was...I was too late.   
I...I'm..." Ranma paused and took a deep breath. He   
didn't know what to say, so he turned to leave, but Ukyou   
would not release her grip on his hand.  
  
"They told me what happened. You saved my life,   
Ranchan. You stayed with me till the doctors were done   
working on me."  
  
"No, Ucchan. I didn't do nothing. Konatsu saved   
your life. He was the real man."  
  
Ranma's face twisted in a self-mocking smile, but   
Ukyou didn't notice.  
  
"So he's gone, too. I thought so, but things   
happened so quickly."  
  
There was an unhappy pause before she spoke again.   
"Sorry about your friend Hiroshi."  
  
"Hiroshi?"  
  
"He was there with his date. They seemed so happy."  
  
Hiroshi has been more an acquaintance than an actual   
friend, but Ranma paled at the loss.  
  
"You're blaming yourself, aren't you, Ranchan? I   
understand. I couldn't save him or anyone else. And   
Konatsu sacrificed himself..."  
  
Ranma remained silent. Anger gave Ukyou strength and   
she pulled the boy closer. He landed on his knees beside   
the bed, his face inches from her. Ukyou used her free   
hand to gesture toward the bandages covering her eyes.  
  
"They told you what'll happen when these come off,   
didn't they?"  
  
Ukyou took the choked sob as a yes.  
  
"Ranchan, I'm tough enough to live with it. If I can   
do that, so can you. Promise me you'll stop blaming   
yourself. Please, Ranchan."  
  
Ranma nodded and then mumbled, "Yes."  
  
Ukyou smiled and relaxed a bit. If Ranma didn't   
blame himself, she could accept blindness and continue on.   
No, she knew she was lying to herself.  
  
What use is a blind martial artist? How can I cook   
when I can't see the food or the grill? Ranchan would be   
better off if that thing had finished the job. He doesn't   
need a helpless fiancée and I don't want him all torn up   
worrying about me.  
  
Ukyou did not appreciate the irony. A few days ago,   
it gnawed at her that Ranma never seemed to worry about   
her. Now that he was, it hurt even worse.  
  
***  
  
Kasumi was a patient person or thoughts of violence   
would have filled her mind. Actually, they did, but the   
images were not of any violence Kasumi might inflict and   
the girl was quite disturbed by her discovery.  
  
Ranma's bloodstained clothing had been tossed into   
the hamper directly on top of Akane's jogging outfit. Both   
sets of garments were coated in blood and it would be   
difficult getting the stains out now they had dried.   
Kasumi dropped the clothing into warm water, trying to soak   
out as much of the stains as possible before washing.  
  
As her body dropped back into the familiar but no   
longer comforting routine, her mind raced. Kasumi reminded   
herself that Ranma had showed no signs of injury. A   
suspicious person might draw other conclusions from Ranma's   
bloodstained clothing. When he was in the Cat Fist State   
the boy was capable of inflicting severe damage and he   
didn't recall his actions afterwards.  
  
Kasumi suppressed the thought and began running   
through a mental checklist. Everyone in the household also   
appeared uninjured, though neither Ranma nor Akane seemed   
to have slept well. Dr. Tofu could take care of himself,   
but something had happened to someone, and she couldn't   
pretend everything was alright like she usually did.  
  
But she tried. The girl pulled the rest of the   
clothing out of the hamper, trying to drown her worries in   
the familiar routine of housework. More was going on than   
people were telling her; unpleasant, dangerous, frightening   
things. They weren't even trying to keep secrets; they   
just seemed to have forgotten her again. She was tired of   
being taken for granted. Kasumi sighed and continued   
sorting through the laundry. She still had a lot of chores   
to do, even if no one seemed to appreciate her work, and   
she prayed she'd get some explanations soon.  
  
Sometimes getting what you wish for is a bad thing.  
  
***  
  
Nabiki was going out on a limb, an actual tree limb   
of one of the tallest trees on the school grounds. She   
glanced nervously down at the three-story drop to the   
ground. Normally, Nabiki picked the time and place for any   
confrontation to assure herself of every advantage, but   
there wasn't time to make sure she was in control of this   
situation and this time she was gambling with her life.  
  
Her research showed a lot of effort had been made to   
cover up some very bizarre deaths. Nabiki wasn't   
surprised, the government probably wanted to avoid panic   
and anyone publicly claiming there were monsters running   
around would become unemployed if not institutionalized.   
It was surprising just how old some of the incidents were.   
Some predated the Meiji Restoration.  
  
And the boy with the sword had been seen that far   
back, too. He must be at least one hundred and fifty years   
old, which meant he probably wasn't human either. When he   
appeared the attacks stopped. In only two cases had Nabiki   
found evidence of people's deaths being caused by a sword.   
One was Akane's real mother, Setsuko Ono.  
  
"Who are you?" Nabiki's voice was not as steady as   
she wanted. "What are you doing here?"  
  
The boy turned and she was relieved he didn't draw   
his weapon.  
  
"I have no name. Only the sword has a name.   
Onikirimaru, the Ogre Slayer."  
  
This doesn't sound good. I'm not sure he's even   
sane.  
  
"Listen, 'Mister No Name'. I need to know what   
you're doing here."  
  
"I am here to kill the Ogre."  
  
This was getting frustrating. "Why do you want to   
kill the Ogre?"  
  
"I don't want to. I have to. Only by killing all   
the Ogres can I become human."  
  
"All the Ogres in Tokyo?"  
  
"All the Ogres in the world."  
  
Great, I'm trapped on a tree limb with an immortal   
lunatic. "All you have is some stupid sword and you plan   
to kill all the Ogres in the world?"  
  
"Yes." The boy's quiet confidence was more than a   
little disturbing.  
  
"So where is the Ogre?"  
  
"Close, somewhere very close. I smell its presence   
near the girl who gives it strength. Ogres are drawn by   
your darker emotions: anger, hatred, jealousy, envy. She   
does not intend to summon it, but it is easier for her.   
She was born because an Ogre granted her mother's prayer.   
Five years later the Ogre forced her own mother to kill her   
so it could eat the girl."  
  
"But Akane didn't die, Setsuko did."  
  
"I gave the mother a choice. She gave her life to   
restore her daughter."  
  
Now it made a twisted kind of sense. Nabiki had   
studied the police reports. The marks on Akane's throat.   
Yes, it all fit.  
  
"She has the Ogre's blood," the boy continued, "and   
it calls to them. Anger and jealousy in any human can   
cause an Ogre to form. And as an Ogre once helped to give   
her life, now she is giving another Ogre life by these   
emotions."  
  
Suddenly, the boy leaped from the branch, leaving   
Nabiki with unanswered questions and her heart hammering in   
her chest. She swallowed and glanced down, wincing at the   
sight of the forty-foot drop.  
  
The Ogre Slayer was unharmed; his attention already   
focused elsewhere. Silently, relentlessly he followed the   
frightened girl with short blue-black hair who was running   
from the school grounds.  
  
Nabiki edged back towards the trunk of the tree,   
until she could feel its rough surface and lean against it.   
When she finally dared to look again the others were gone.  
  
***  
  
The phone rang once before Kasumi answered.  
  
"Yes, Akane came home a few minutes ago and went up   
to her room, even though school won't be out for a couple   
hours yet."  
  
"Get out of there now, Kasumi." There was something   
in Nabiki's voice that Kasumi had never heard before.  
  
"Don't you think you're overreacting, Nabiki?   
Something bad may have happened to that Kodachi girl, but   
nothing would ever happen here." But doubt tinged Kasumi's   
voice.  
  
"I'm not overreacting; I'm just not sure which one is   
more dangerous."  
  
"I don't understand. Just tell me what's wrong."  
  
"I don't have time to explain, just find Daddy and   
get out of the house."  
  
"But what about Akane..."  
  
"Trust me, Kasumi, I've never lied to you. If you   
see a boy who looks like Kuno, stay out of his way. And   
let Akane sleep. She needs it and nothing will happen   
while she is asleep."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I promise I'll explain when I get there.  
  
Kasumi still didn't understand, but Nabiki had   
already hung up and begun dialing another number.  
  
***  
  
Akane collapsed onto her futon. Too much was   
happening for her to understand. Her real mother had tried   
to kill her. Tofu was her real father. Nabiki and Kasumi   
weren't her sisters. Soun and Kumori weren't her parents.   
It was more than she was ready to deal with and soon the   
weary girl fell asleep. Unfortunately, that meant dreams   
came.  
  
***  
  
Ukyou was almost asleep when the nurse announced a   
phone call for Ranma. She had held his arm for so long he   
had lost circulation in it, but he was reluctant to let go.   
She only seemed to relax and feel safe when he was touching   
her.  
  
"I'll be right back, Ucchan." He never intended that   
to be a lie.  
  
Ranma stretched and began massaging the pins and   
needles feeling out of his arm. He moved slowly to the   
phone, but his whole demeanor changed after he picked it up   
and heard Tofu's urgent claim that Akane was in danger.  
  
Ranma turned towards Ukyou's room, frozen in   
indecision. He didn't want to leave her unguarded, but   
Tofu claimed the danger was at the Tendo home.  
  
"Sorry, Ucchan," he whispered and rushed out of the   
hospital.  
  
Ukyou was alone again and she could no longer sleep.   
She had overheard enough to know something was wrong. It   
could only be the creature that had filled her final sights   
with blood and pain. But where had Ranma gone, the Cat   
Cafe or the Tendo home? And if she figured that out, she   
still needed to acquire clothing and transportation, then   
persuade the hospital to let her go.  
  
It was a hopeless task, but so was her ten-year quest   
to find Ranma. She just didn't have anywhere near that   
much time.  
  
***  
  
This dream was so clear that Akane didn't realize it   
was a dream at first. She watched helplessly as events   
replayed.  
  
She had been angry with Ranma for disappearing after   
school.  
  
"I wonder who that stupid jerk's flirting with this   
time," Akane muttered. She was sure he did it just to   
irritate her. Irritation turned to anger when she heard   
the unpleasant cackle of Kodachi's laughter.   
  
Akane leaped aside, narrowly avoiding a razor sharp   
gymnastics hoop. Kodachi followed with a rain of clubs   
that forced her to retreat down the alley.   
  
Why does this always happen to me? It's not fair!  
  
She was furious because Ranma wasn't there to help   
her, but as she avoided the various gymnastics tools thrown   
at her, a change came over Akane.  
  
You don't need that pervert. You have all the   
strength you need to get rid of Kodachi. Don't go running   
to that jerk Ranma. Use your anger, it makes you strong.   
Go ahead. Show them what you can do.  
  
Akane stopped running. She was tired of Kodachi's   
harassment and the gymnast deserved to be beaten. Then the   
locked away memories of horror began as hands that weren't   
really hers ended Kodachi's mocking laughter forever.  
  
***  
  
Ranma arrived just after Tofu, forcing Nabiki to   
repeat her information. As she continued, Kasumi and Ranma   
paled. Tofu wore a hard, determined look. Unnoticed by the   
others, Genma assessed his chances of beating a real Ogre   
or someone who'd been killing them for a couple hundred   
years, then used the opportunity to flee. Soun degenerated   
into wailing about his poor little girl.  
  
"She's my little girl, Soun," Tofu sighed wearily,   
"And I'm going to save her."  
  
"You may be too late," said the ageless boy with the   
sword.  
  
Ranma and Tofu took defensive postures, eyeing the   
boy warily. Neither had sensed his approach, and that was   
more than a little disturbing. Nabiki knew this was   
probably the most people to ever see the Ogre Slayer at one   
time. Kasumi stepped between the Ogre Slayer and the   
others.  
  
"But you don't know that it's too late."  
  
"No."  
  
"Kasumi get back, Tofu begged. "Don't trust him.   
You don't know what he's done. He's dangerous."  
  
"Look at his eyes," Kasumi replied. "He doesn't   
enjoy this." Then Kasumi's expression hardened and she   
turned toward her sister. "Nabiki, get Father out of here   
now."  
  
When she turned back the Ogre Slayer was gone as   
silently and mysteriously as he had arrived.  
  
***  
  
Nabiki had pulled her feebly protesting father   
through the gate and started down the sidewalk when a   
delivery van screeched to a stop, missing her and her   
father by inches. Soun decided this was an excellent time   
to faint. Nabiki had her mother's courage if not her   
compassion and just stared as Ukyou climbed out of the   
passenger seat. The girl was barefoot and the shirt and   
pants she wore over the hospital robe were borrowed, but   
she carried her weapons.  
  
Ukyou knew several other restaurant owners and food   
suppliers and had most of their phone numbers memorized.   
Kyoujin had high quality seafood and a reputation for   
driving like a maniac. The ride to the Tendo home was the   
third most terrifying experience of Ukyou's life.  
  
"Ranchan, are you here?" There was something in her   
voice, a mixture of hope and fear.  
  
Nabiki studied the other girl, cataloging her   
injuries. She didn't know what had happened to Ukyou,   
though she could guess. Events were coming too swiftly for   
the Tendo girl to keep track of and she didn't like that at   
all.  
  
"Ranchan," Ukyou repeated plaintively.  
  
"He's at the house," Nabiki replied.  
  
"He's going to fight the Ogre." It wasn't a   
question.  
  
"Then he's insane," Nabiki answered.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"You're crazy, too."  
  
"Where?"  
  
Nabiki pointed reflexively then let her arm drop.  
  
"Just tell me where he is," Ukyou pleaded.  
  
"Turn to your right. A little farther. Now   
straight."  
  
Nabiki watched in amazement as the blinded girl   
inched forward, using her battle spatula to probe the   
ground in front of her. Konatsu would have understood her   
reasons. Nabiki didn't.  
  
For a moment, Nabiki was certain she and her father   
were the only sane ones around. On reflection, she dropped   
her father from that list. Nabiki had never fought a   
battle she wasn't sure she could win and she wasn't about   
to start now.  
  
Beneath her cold exterior, Nabiki prayed to anyone   
willing to listen that her sister Kasumi would survive.   
She didn't expect it to work. 'Love conquers all' was an   
empty saying that had nothing to do with real life. Not   
even money conquered all.  
  
***  
  
She spat out blood and limped forward again.   
Refusing to accept defeat, Shampoo flung her battered body   
against the cage, but as a cat she lacked the strength to   
free herself. All but one of her front claws were gone,   
splintered or torn lose from her attempts to pry the wire   
cage open from the inside. For the last several hours,   
she'd been trying to chew through the wires and the   
hopeless attempt had left her mouth a torn and bloody mess.  
  
Her great-grandmother had explained about the   
creature that was killing and maiming and she knew Ranma   
would fight it. Cologne was sure Ranma had no chance, even   
with Shampoo's help.  
  
Sorry, Airen. I want to be there with you. I don't   
care what great-grandmother says, I have faith in you. And   
even if she's right, even if you fail, there are worse   
fates than dying by your side.  
  
The cat flung itself into another useless attack on   
the cage. When this attempt proved no more effective than   
any of the others, she collapsed and began crying.  
  
***  
  
Ukyou shrieked as hands grabbed her. She struggled   
frantically, but not for long.  
  
"Shhhh, Ucchan. It's me. You're ok. You just gotta   
be quiet."  
  
This time the girl's shriek was of glee and she   
wrapped herself around Ranma. The surprised boy fell   
backwards into the grass.  
  
"Umm, Ucchan. You shouldn't be here. It's not   
safe."  
  
"Of course it's not safe, you dummy. It's not safe   
for you, either."  
  
Ranma's reply was muffled as the blinded girl found   
his lips with hers. Ukyou expected to die in the next few   
minutes and that gave her a boldness she had never shown   
before. There was no way she could express a decade of   
pain, longing, love, and loneliness in one kiss, but Ukyou   
tried.  
  
***  
  
Akane woke, certain she sensed a dark malevolent   
presence in the room. Outside the window it was a bright   
warm spring afternoon, but she felt cold and alone. The   
house was empty, even her pet P-chan had disappeared.   
Akane stumbled to the window and flung it open, hoping the   
air and light would make her feel better.  
  
Instead, the light seemed bright and glaring and she   
squinted in pain. Instead of pleasant warmth, the heat   
felt heavy and oppressive. The fresh blooming flowers   
smelled noxious instead of pleasant. The calls of the   
startled birds turned to harsh and angry cries as they   
fluttered away. Droning insect noises battered at her   
ears.  
  
The nightmares had deprived Akane of sleep. Lack of   
sleep lowered her emotional defenses, making her more prone   
to strike out in anger. Anger fed the Ogre, giving it the   
strength to craft darker dreams and whisper words of   
violence in Akane's mind. Twice before, Akane's anger   
reached the point where the Ogre could manifest. The first   
time gave it only seconds to do its work. The second time   
it was able to act for considerably longer. Some people   
claim all things come in threes.  
  
Akane looked out the window at Ukyou and Ranma lying   
in the grass below. Ukyou was kissing him passionately,   
her body molded to his, and he wasn't exactly trying to   
push her away. The Ogre whispered to Akane, but it didn't   
need to this time.  
  
You see them betraying you. Now! Use your strength.   
Use your anger. Destroy them.  
  
It was years since Akane attempted to repress her   
anger. Unsurprisingly, she failed to restrain it again,   
but this time two more people would die and a third would   
be shattered. The bestial roar of the Ogre drowned Akane's   
cry of rage. Something bulged between her shoulders and a   
grotesque form flowed upwards, materializing into the   
massive chest and arms and misshapen head of an Ogre. It   
loomed above the girl, mocking gravity, yet still attached   
to her.  
  
The creature lunged forward, shattering the glass and   
stretching towards its prey.  
  
Ranma saw the Ogre hurtling down towards Ukyou and   
himself, its fanged mouth open in a snarl of rage and its   
eyes burning with hatred. He froze for an instant, shocked   
by the ferocity of the unnatural beast. Ukyou tensed;   
understanding something was dreadfully wrong, but helpless   
to prevent it. Ranma grabbed her and rolled to the side.  
  
The Ogre almost missed.  
  
***  
  
Tofu was halfway up the stairs to Akane's room when   
he heard the scream, the roar, and the shattering glass.   
He vaulted up the remaining steps and burst through Akane's   
door just as he heard Ukyou scream.  
  
Akane stood near the window. She pivoted slowly   
towards Tofu, her eyes blank and staring, her fists   
clenched in anger. The torso of the Ogre bonded to her   
stretched upwards behind her and out the window like a huge   
blood red snake. Tofu's healing skills were useless in   
this situation, and he had no intention of using martial   
arts against his only child. That left one option.  
  
"Akane, its me, Dr. Tofu. I'm your father. Please,   
we need to talk."  
  
The blank eyes shifted and Tofu thought he saw   
something behind them.  
  
***  
  
The Ogre howled in rage and frustration as its claws   
sliced empty air. Its prey was barely out of reach. The   
monster continued flailing away, trying and failing to   
stretch just a little farther.  
  
"Ranchan, what happened?"  
  
Ukyou made an effort to remain calm. She'd heard the   
window shatter above her and the monster's howl and then   
Ranma grabbed her and rolled to the side. Now he lay   
heavily on top of her and he had stopped moving.  
  
"Ranchan?"  
  
He groaned before he spoke. "I'm...fine...Ucchan."  
  
It was a lie and she could tell it was a lie.   
Ukyou's hands brushed his back and came away wet and   
sticky. The Ogre's claws had sliced Ranma's back open in   
three different places. Glass shards had struck him there   
and in the right arm and leg, but by some miracle his spine   
and internal organs had avoided damage.  
  
***  
  
Tofu kept his voice calm and even as he tried to   
reason with Akane. He thought he saw some glimmer of   
recognition in her eyes.  
  
I'm getting through to her.  
  
He was right. That's why the Ogre determined to   
silence him. Flesh flowed and the creature re-entered the   
room. It whipped past Akane, striking for Tofu.  
  
Tofu continued talking, even as he shifted into a   
defensive stance. No one in Nerima had seen his martial   
arts before because he hadn't needed them. Cologne would   
have described his ability as adequate, high praise for an   
outsider male less than half her age. Instead, she was at   
the docks, buying passage home to China.  
  
Tofu's form seemed to blur as he dodged between the   
raking claws. His whole body moved at nearly the speed   
Ranma achieved with his hands using the Chestnut Fist   
technique. The Ogre's claws splintered the desk and bed   
and gouged furrows in the walls and floor. Tofu was   
unharmed. All the Ogre accomplished was preventing him   
from talking to Akane, but that was enough.  
  
Tofu spun forward in an acrobatic leap. This time a   
single claw razored across his cheek, drawing a line of   
blood, but he'd hit the Ogre in four different pressure   
points. Any one of the four would have killed or paralyzed   
a human.  
  
It wasn't human.  
  
***  
  
The noises coming from Akane's room proved Tofu was   
still fighting. Ranma and Ukyou stumbled to their feet,   
grateful for being ignored. Ranma felt light-headed and   
almost didn't realize he was leaning on Ukyou.  
  
I haven't got time to be weak. I gotta save...  
  
He had too many people to save in his current   
condition. The claw wounds were bleeding far more than   
normal injuries did.  
  
"You can let go, Ucchan. I can walk by myself. You   
get outta here. I want you to be safe."  
  
"You're still trying to fight that thing, Ranchan?"   
  
"I have to after what it did to you."  
  
"I don't see how you being dead makes up for me being   
blind!"  
  
He didn't have a response for that.  
  
***  
  
The Ogre was unfazed, but Tofu was fairly certain   
that pressure points would still work on Akane. It would   
be easy to kill her or cripple her for life. Immobilizing   
her without causing damage would be challenging and risky,   
but Tofu was willing to attempt it.  
  
He leaped toward the monster, twisting in mid-air to   
avoid the Ogre's claws. Unfortunately, it had another arm   
and those claws sliced for Tofu's head. Instinct made him   
interpose an arm in a parry.  
  
The claws tore it off just below the elbow.  
  
***  
  
Kasumi stood halfway up the stairs, afraid to advance   
but unwilling to retreat. She didn't think Tofu knew she'd   
followed him, and now her nice well-ordered life was being   
torn to pieces around her. After her mother's death and   
her father's increasing emotional instability, Kasumi had   
attempted to fill the role of parent in the household. It   
was too much to ask of any nine-year-old, but Kasumi had   
done a better job than many adults could have.  
  
Now everyone was depending on her again. Kasumi   
wanted to flee down the stairs like a frightened child.   
Instead, she moved upwards, stopping only when she heard   
footsteps on the stairs behind her.  
  
Ranma looked paler than Gosunkugi normally did and   
only Ukyou's assistance prevented him from collapsing.   
Bandages hid Ukyou's eyes and her movements betrayed other   
injuries. Kasumi gasped and rushed down the stairs.  
  
"What are you two doing here? You both belong in the   
hospital."  
  
"Ranchan won't leave until we get you out of here,   
Kasumi."  
  
"And I gotta save Akane," Ranma mumbled, "Gotta beat   
the Ogre."  
  
"Ukyou, can't you see what happened to Ranma..."  
  
"No, I can't," she replied bitterly. "I know it   
isn't good, but Ranchan won't quit trying."  
  
"I don't care how stubborn Ranma is, Ukyou, if we   
don't stop his bleeding, he isn't going to make it."  
  
Ukyou turned nearly as pale as her fiancé. Kasumi   
regretted her words, but they produced the desired   
response. Ukyou lay Ranma down on the stairs as gently as   
she could and pulled off her borrowed shirt. Even blind,   
she could use her sharpened mini spatulas to shred the   
garment into makeshift bandages. One by one, she passed   
them to Kasumi, who worked as rapidly as she could. Normal   
wounds didn't bleed this heavily, and there was so much   
blood.  
  
"Is it enough, Kasumi? If its not..." Modesty was   
irrelevant if the borrowed pants or the hospital robe were   
needed for more makeshift bandages.  
  
"I think I've stopped the bleeding, Ukyou, but you   
must get Ranma out of here now."  
  
Ukyou nodded and slung the vainly protesting boy over   
her shoulders. She gasped as one of her chest wounds   
reopened and turned back down the stairs. Ukyou moved a   
step at a time, feeling her way forward in her permanent   
darkness. The task took enough concentration that she   
didn't realize Kasumi wasn't following.  
  
***  
  
Tofu's torn body lay forgotten in the corner, but he   
was still barely conscious. Through half open eyes, he saw   
Kasumi enter the room. He opened his mouth to protest, but   
his voice was an unheard whisper. Kasumi had no chance   
against this thing.  
  
This is my fault. After Setsuko's death I had a   
choice. Ami asked me to marry her. She said she'd be glad   
to help raise little Akane. I wasted time wallowing in   
grief and anger until Ami was gone forever.  
  
Tofu remembered an empty pill bottle and the final   
desperate note of a friend who had wanted to be so much   
more. He silently mouthed an apology.  
  
Soun promised he'd take care of my little girl and   
maybe if his wife had lived...  
  
Regrets couldn't change the past. He expected Kasumi   
to join the list of dead or maimed, but somehow she   
remained alive. Tofu was so weak he couldn't make out the   
words, but Kasumi's gentle reasoning was winning the   
battle, Akane was fighting the Ogre's control.  
  
Then Tofu noticed something silhouetted in the broken   
window. The Ogre Slayer balanced there with drawn sword   
and time seemed frozen for a moment.  
  
***  
  
Ukyou reached the outer wall and felt her way along   
it until she found the front gate.  
  
"You still there, Ranchan?"  
  
"Gotta go back. Gotta help..."  
  
"You have to go back and help Akane and Kasumi," Soun   
wailed.  
  
Ukyou wanted to hit the man, but her battle spatula   
lay abandoned on the stairs. She couldn't even give him an   
angry glare with the bandages covering what remained of her   
eyes.  
  
"Shut up, Daddy," Nabiki interrupted. "They're   
obviously in no shape to try. You could always go rescue   
her." No one noticed how worried she looked.  
  
Nabiki turned to the wounded. "I called the   
paramedics." Ukyou dropped to her knees as sirens wailed   
in the distance. She laid Ranma down carefully, pillowing   
his head in her lap. She was tired, so very tired. She   
wished she could see him. She wished she could tell if he   
was alright.  
  
"Ucchan, you're bleeding," Ranma murmured, raising   
his hand to touch a spreading stain of red that marred the   
white of the hospital gown. Tears flowed from beneath the   
bandage covering her eyes and he wished he could wipe them   
away. "Sorry, Ucch..." His arm dropped and his   
consciousness faded. She didn't reply, but slumped forward   
over the boy. Even unconscious, she didn't let go of him.  
  
***  
  
Soun found no reply to his daughter's rebuke. Nabiki   
had never spoken to him like that, but he knew he deserved   
it. After his wife died, he had busied himself doing   
nothing, nothing of importance. The days blurred into a   
gray sameness as his children struggled to become adults   
without his help or guidance. He'd grown lazy and cowardly   
and his children were paying the price.  
  
Sorry, Kumori. I've become so much less of a man   
since you died. I just tried to send a blind girl and a   
maimed boy to do what I should have already done.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by screams coming from   
the house and he imagined his late wife's face frowning at   
him, instead of smiling as she had in life. He couldn't   
bear that. Soun rushed forward. He'd finally found his   
lost courage, but he'd found it too late.  
  
***  
  
Time seemed to pause and then it moved with   
horrifying speed. Kasumi hesitated when she saw the Ogre   
Slayer. The Ogre sensed his presence behind it and   
attacked first.  
  
The boy dove to the floor as claws raked the place he   
had just been. Splinters of wood and glass tumbled through   
the air. The torn remnants of the window frame were still   
in midair when the Ogre refocused its attention on Kasumi.   
Screams erupted from the throats of all three humans, but   
only one found the strength to act.  
  
He'd lost Setsuko, he'd lost Ami, but Tofu refused to   
lose Kasumi. He launched himself forward with desperate   
strength, interposing himself between her and the Ogre.  
  
***  
  
"Kasumi!"  
  
Soun couldn't find his daughter on the main floor of   
the house. He hesitated at the foot of the stairs, noting   
a staggering trail of blood drops going halfway up the   
stairs, ending near a pile of shredded strips of cloth.   
Soun whispered his daughter's name, and then he heard   
something and moved swiftly to the dining area. The   
sliding door was open and he saw Kasumi standing outside   
near the koi pond. Her back was turned, but she was softly   
humming a happy tune. Soun smiled, exhaled in relief, and   
called his daughter's name, but she didn't respond.  
  
"Kasumi," he repeated.  
  
"Yes, Daddy?"  
  
"What happened, Kasumi?"  
  
"Don't you think Dr. Tofu has nice hands, Daddy?   
He's such a handsome man, but I think I like his hands   
best. They're so strong, but so gentle. I'm going to   
marry him someday, Daddy."  
  
Soun paused, feeling a chill even though the spring   
day was warm.  
  
"He's such a nice man, Daddy." Kasumi began humming   
again.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
"Yes, Daddy." His oldest daughter turned, the wide   
smile on her face a stark contrast to the blood splashed   
across her face and arms and drenching her clothing. She   
lovingly clutched a severed arm to her chest.  
  
"See, Daddy, I told you Tofu has such nice hands.   
Did I tell you I'm going to marry him someday? He's such a   
nice man."  
  
***  
  
A boy with a sword stood alone in the ruins of a   
room. No, he was also surrounded by memories of the dead.   
He didn't know how long he'd been alive, but the killing   
never seemed to end. No matter how many Ogres he   
destroyed, he could never finish the job.  
  
He'd waited, given the humans a chance, no several   
chances to help the girl seal the Ogre away. He'd hoped   
that his method wouldn't be needed, that the girl could   
survive, could live a normal life.  
  
But how many had paid for his attempt at mercy, paid   
in blood and pain and death? How much had the girl herself   
suffered, because the Ogre Slayer had dared to hope she   
could be saved. Kasumi's attempt to free her sister only   
meant that Akane was conscious for the final events, awake   
enough to scream, but not to halt the monster's rage. Only   
the Ogre Slayer was able to do that.  
  
The boy knew what would happen when he killed the   
Ogre, but that hadn't stopped him. He wanted to be wrong,   
but he knew he was too late. The Ogre had lived inside of   
Akane for years, feeding on her rage. By the time it grew   
powerful enough to manifest itself, their bond was too   
strong. Ending the Ogre's life had ended the girl's.  
  
This Ogre would kill no more, but as the Ogre Slayer   
looked at the fallen girl, he mourned at another life cut   
short. The words Setsuko Ono had screamed ten years ago   
were engraved in his memory.  
  
"No one is taking Akane away! She won't die! I   
didn't go to the shrine and pray for a daughter just to let   
her die!"  
  
The girl's death had become necessary, but it brought   
him neither enjoyment nor satisfaction. The Ogre Slayer   
merely looked human, but he understood and felt sorrow.   
  
That still hadn't stopped him.  
  
***  
  
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.  
But I know none, and therefore am no beast.  
  
Richard III  
  
***  
  
Notes:  
  
Akane and Setsuko Ono appear in the third episode of   
the Ogre Slayer anime, "Chapter of the Ogre Witch." The   
father is unnamed and his face is unseen. The end of the   
episode occurs about ten years after Setsuko's death. We   
hear the father has remarried and Akane seems to be an   
ordinary teenager, but the Ogre Slayer is still watching   
her.  
  
Kumori means 'shadow of the cloud'. Mrs. Tendo's   
name is never given in the anime or the manga. Kumori   
seemed appropriate since all the other Tendos are named   
after types of clouds. Kyoujin means 'madman'. Ami means   
'friend' and is even a real name.  
  
Akane's beating Happosai up in her sleep occurs in   
episode 58 of the TV series, "Room with a Zoo" and in   
Volume 7 of the Manga. At the time, Ryouga says she   
usually acts more violent when she is asleep.  
  
*** 


End file.
